Moist Chocolate Layer Cake with Peppermint Cream

Seems like the pumpkin phase just left us, and now it's Peppermint!  As I was putting away all the Christmas decor, it seemed such a shame to just toss the peppermint candy.  At a recent Relief Society dinner, my wonderful friend Pat (who is a fabulous caterer) served a delicious dessert.  Using a Costco American Chocolate Layer Cake, she stepped it up a notch by topping slices with whipped cream and crushed peppermint candy.  

I did a lot of searching online for a similar type of cake, and found one on King Arthur Flour website.  It guides you through a unique mixing method where the fats (butter & oil) are incorporated into the dry ingredients first, then adding the liquids and eggs.  I thought it looked interesting, and it turned out well.  A little more bother than I usually like to go to, but I would make it again. 

It is a moist, rich cake - but not overly so.  That makes it a good recipe for topping with a decadent frosting, or even dusted with powdered sugar.  It becomes more moist the longer it stands.  With a cake this size, it was in my kitchen for over 2 weeks through the Christmas holidays.  We chipped away at it, and it was more moist every time we had a little slice.  

Moist Chocolate Layer Cake  
(by kingarthurflour.com)

2-1/4 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1-3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, very soft
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
4 large eggs

Prepare your pans first.  This recipe works well with either of these options:  three 8" rounds, two 9" rounds, one 9" x 13" pan, or two muffin tins (24 cupcakes).  Preheat oven to 350°.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a large mixing bowl.  Measure in all the dry ingredients.  Sift/shake into the bowl to eliminate lumps (this was faster than I anticipated and worked well)

*Key to success with this recipe is having your milk, butter, and eggs at room temperature.  You can speed this up by placing your eggs in warm water for about 5 minutes, and also heating your milk briefly in the microwave (about 20-30 seconds)

Add the butter and mix at low speed for about a minute.  Now add the oil and continue mixing until it resembles coarse sand.  

Combine the water, milk, and vanilla - adding all at once to the dry ingredients.  Mix for about 1 minute, then scrape bowl and mix 30 seconds more.

Now add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of bowl often.  Batter will be thin.  Transfer batter to prepared pans, smoothing in the pan with an offset spatula.  For cupcakes, measure a heaping 1/4 cup into each well.  Bake about 34 minutes for 9" x 13" pan, 28 minutes for 9" layers, 24-26 minutes for 8" layers, 21-23 minutes for cupcakes.

Cake is done when top springs back when touched lightly with finger in center.   The cake will begin to pull away from the sides as well.  Allow to cool, then decorate as desired.

Peppermint Cream:  Whip heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.  Top slices with cream as desired, and garnish with crushed peppermint candy.  Serve immediately.

Christmas Morning Beverages

Christmas morning breakfast is a really fun meal at our house.  Once the gifts are opened, then everyone changes into their new jammies and/or Christmas clothes - it isn't long until everyone looks around for the food.  

For Christmas breakfast to be a hit - it involves a little prior preparation & thought on my part.  We usually have orange juice and/or cold chocolate milk, with maybe a little egg-nog - not a big deal.  But I've tried two drinks that I now want to make part of our normal routine in the future.  

I usually have a green smoothie every day - and love it.  (Makes me less anxious about getting enough green veggies)  I decided to try layering my normal green smoothie with a red strawberry smoothie.  If watermelon was in season now - I'd know exactly WHICH recipe to use (see this post on Strawberry/Watermelon Smoothies HERE).  I used similar proportions, but eliminated the watermelon.  Still delicious.  Layering takes two blender jars - but you could quickly rinse out and reuse the same jar if you only have one.

We also love hot chocolate.  But that involves another pan on the stove, and careful attention so it doesn't boil over.  Milk has that annoying quality of foaming when heated.  Crockpot hot chocolate doesn't have any of these problems.  It sits in the background quietly warming until you are ready for it.  

I (personally) thought this hot chocolate was not sweet enough.  But others disagree, and love the fact that it is rich and chocolatey without being overly sweet.  You can always ADD sugar (or marshmallows) and remedy that yourself.  Using a crockpot is genius on a busy morning like Christmas.  

Crockpot Hot Chocolate:  (recipe found on SEVERAL websites)

10-oz can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated!)
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup dry baking cocoa - (should not be sweetened)
1-1/2 tsp vanilla (real vanilla is a must, not artificial)
7-1/2 cups warm water

Combine all ingredients in crockpot.  Cover and cook on high (for 2 hours) - OR - low (for 4 hours).

Depending on your individual crockpot, you may notice the edges start to burn.  The hot chocolate isn't ruined, but be careful not to scrape the sides or bottom when stirring and serving so the burned bits don't get distributed throughout.  Serve with whipped cream, marshmallows, peppermint bits, and/or any other thing you enjoy with hot chocolate.

Christmas Red/Green Smoothies

In two separate blender jars, combine the following:

RED layer:
2 cups frozen strawberries
2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
1-2 cups water
1 tsp vanilla

GREEN layer:
2 handfuls green spinach
l large banana
1/2 cucumber (optional)
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1-2 cups frozen pineapple chunks

Blend using "smoothie" or "ice crush" setting on blender.  You may need to run it through the cycle a few times to completely combine/crush frozen ingredients.  If your smoothie gets stuck (being frozen) - simply stir and add a small amount of water to loosen it and make it easier to blend.

Carefully layer each color alternately in short drinking glasses.  Insert a red striped straw and serve.

Spiced Bacon Twists

I rarely spend much time on preparing bacon, as it usually evaporates into thin air every time I serve it.   Bacon is a heavenly addition to breakfast however, so I have been looking for new ways to prepare it to make it a little more "special".  This was surprisingly easy and really delicious.  

You may have success by simply twisting your bacon by hand and arranging it on wire racks.  My bacon was a little too "floppy" to make that work however.  I tried wrapping my bacon strips around wooden dowels (about 1/2" to 3/4" in diameter) that I found at a craft store.  Worked very well! 

It's a good idea to line your baking pan with foil - as the brown sugar/spice mixture makes a huge mess after baking that long in the oven.  I also found that once the bacon cooks long enough to "set" in the curly position - I could remove the dowels and let it finish baking completely.  This allows the interior of the twists to bake to perfection.  

We loved this recipe - it's almost like candy.  To simplify it even more (for those people who don't like their bacon adulterated with other flavors!) - you could totally eliminate the spice rub.  

Spiced Bacon Twists (adapted from tasteofhome.com)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
dash of Cayenne pepper (optional)
10-12 center-cut bacon strips (I used thick cut, adjust times for thinner bacon slices)

Combine brown sugar and spices with fingers.  

Arrange bacon on flat surface, strips touching each other.

Rub sugar/spice mixture into bacon with fingers until absorbed.

Wrap bacon strips around dowels as shown.

Arrange on wire rack set in a 9" x 13" baking pan lined in foil.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes (for thinner slices) or up to 1 hour (for thick-cut bacon).

Bacon should be firm and hold it's shape. 

Remove from dowels if desired, then bake longer for crispier bacon.

May be pre-cooked & refrigerated - warming in oven before serving.

Breakfast Bake

Our LDS Ward was having a Christmas party and asked for volunteers to make a "healthy" Breakfast Casserole.  Now ~ honestly, people... have any of you ever run across such a thing?  But I signed up and decided to try to find and make one.

I ran across a LOT of variations of the typical Breakfast Casserole - most of which use cubed bread, milk, eggs, sausage, cream-of-something soup, and lots of cheese.  But when I saw this one - I thought it had possibilities.  It was great - with one caveat.  It HAS to be eaten hot from the oven.  If it cools much at all, the bread/biscuit base toughens and the consistency changes.  Warming it in the microwave helps, but it's just not the same.  So - have everyone waiting with plates in hand right as it comes from the oven.  

It uses convenience items - canned flaky biscuits, and pre-cubed ham.  The rest is very easy to put together.  It's also much faster to bake than the typical Breakfast Casserole.  Takes about 25-30 minutes.  Mine (link is HERE) - takes an hour or more.  

I found the recipe on rockinglion.wordpress.com - where they claim to have adapted it from a Pillsbury recipe site.  This would be a fun casserole to take camping (baking in a dutch oven) - or to serve after a sleepover, or even on a Sunday night when you don't want to make dinner - but want something hearty.  Try it also with your leftover holiday ham.  

Breakfast Bake (aka - "Comfort Bake")

5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
16-oz can of refrigerated biscuits
4 green onions
1 to 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Any breakfast meat you prefer (I used an 8-oz pkg of cubed ham)... bacon, sausage, etc...

Combine eggs & milk in bowl.  Cut each biscuit into pieces (I cut them into 1/6ths - with a bench scraper).  Add biscuit pieces to bowl to give them time to absorb the eggs slightly.

Slice green onions thinly.  If using breakfast bacon or sausage, brown and drain.  Set aside.

Now add meat, green onions, and shredded cheese into the biscuit/egg/milk mixture - mixing gently until combined.

Pour into a 9" x 13" greased baking dish.  Bake at 350° for about 25-30 minutes.  Check to make sure mixture is completely set and not runny.  

Serve with fruit, orange juice, and even hot chocolate for a great (easy) breakfast or brunch.

Ham & Egg Cups - for any occasion...

Looking for individual servings of quiche for a shower or brunch?  Easter Breakfast?  Christmas Brunch?  These were so quick & simple to make.  We made them the night before, then rewarmed them briefly just before a baby shower.  They were easy to serve on a plate or hold in your hand.

I fully intended to make small, individual quiches in muffin cups for my daughter Whitney’s baby shower in early February.  But as it got closer, I realized there simply was no time.  My mother was very ill and needed me at her side.  We improvised.  That’s how many (good) ideas start... by last minute changes to what is happening in your life.

My three daughters visiting with my wonderful Mom at the
Hospice Center a few days before Whitney's shower.
Their Grandma Pendleton passed away a few days later.
My newest little grandson - Scotty had just been given
 a name & a blessing the week before.
Heaven & earth are so close at times like this...

I bought deli ham (choose ham that is as round in shape as possible - you’ll find that most are oblong...) and had them slice it a little thicker than you would for sandwiches.  In retrospect though, I would have preferred it more thin than thick.  The slices would be easier to “ruffle” out when placed in the cup. 

I allowed about 1-2 eggs per serving, beating them with a little milk.  After arranging the ham in each muffin cup - I cut spinach in thin ribbons and placed it in the bottom.  Then I added some sliced green onion and a nice pinch of cheese.  

Any number of fillings would be great - think broccoli, mushrooms, green pepper, anything Italian or Mexican... go a little crazy and see what you come up with to fit with your theme.

The finishing touch was pouring just enough egg mixture into each cup to cover the items arranged in the bottom.  

After baking at 325° just long enough for the eggs to set (I can’t give you an exact time, as the amount and # of ingredients you use will be different than mine) - allow them to stand at room temperature and then refrigerate until needed.  *Note:  Be careful not to bake too long, as the ham is sweet and might char along the outer edge, as you can see.  It was still great however...

We rewarmed ours for about 20 minutes at 300° and set them into foil cupcake liners.  Even if they are slightly cold, they are still delicious.  

This is it, as far as the "recipe" goes... but if you want to view it without the shower details - go to:  www.changeabletable.com

We served these with yogurt parfaits, mini cinnamon rolls, and a refreshing grapefruit/cherry/pineapple slush.  I’ll post the slush recipe (from my daughter-in-law Rachel) - coming soon. 

Here are a few photos of the shower... my daughters & daughters-in-law were the quintessential party planning machine!  All I had to do was show up...

Whitney loves owls... her sisters & sisters-in-law made these fun little owls
from old sweaters and socks, mixed with a few scraps of felt & crocheted their feet.

Yogurt parfaits... easy.  Mix together Greek Yogurt with fresh strawberry jam.
Layer with granola and fresh blueberries & diced strawberries.  

My daughter-in-law Tara made these sweet little mini-cinnamon rolls.
Baked her favorite recipe a little smaller, and placed them in mini-muffin tins.
Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze and set in mini muffin papers on a serving tray.

That little owl onesie was the cutest thing.
Clothes-pinned to their banner in hot pinks made it even cuter.

Whitney's little one - (her name has not been revealed yet - "Baby K" for now)
will be wearing a new outfit every few hours...

Fun idea for a baby shower.  Write a message to Mom & Dad for late night diaper changes.

Of course there was an owl on top of the diaper cake (made by Tara)

Sweet little owl cap (made by sister-in-law Tara) for Baby "K"...
(By the way,  Baby K is due any minute now... just waiting for the phone call)

Whitney (far left), cousin Kim, sister Aryn, cousin Cassen, & sister Melyn (at back)

Tara's sweet little Mae Ann modeling her future cousin's owl hat...

Whitney with her college roommates & high school friends.